An extremely rare coach built Alfa Romeo 155 that was never sold in Europe.
Here’s an Alfa Romeo you probably know nothing, or very little, about.
The Alfa Romeo 155 Ti.Z is a coach-built, low-volume special edition that actually made it to production, even if it never went on sale in Europe.
The story goes that legendary Italian car designer Ercole Spada proposed the project while working at legendary Milan-based design studio, Zagato.
Spada was already a seriously accomplished car designer when he joined the studio in 1993. He was BMW’s chief stylist in the mid-1970s, helping with the design of the now-iconic BMW E34 5-Series.
In the 1980s, he led Italian design and engineering house Institute of Development in Automotive Engineering (I.DE.A Institute) putting his pen to everything from the 1992 Alfa Romeo 155 to the 1993 Nissan Terrano II.
Interestingly, it’s the Alfa Romeo 155 that Spada would revisit. Now in 1993 – and recently installed as Zagato’s chief stylist – Spada proposed the idea of a special-edition Alfa Romeo 155, one that would capture the Italian marque’s motorsport essence.
Spada proposed a very boxy, DTM-styled design, leaving the engineering and powertrain to Giuseppe Bizzarrini. If that name sounds familiar then yes, you’re right – he is the (eldest) son of Italian motorsport god, Giotto Bizzarrini.
Like his father, Bizzarrini cut his teeth at the highest level, by starting his career as an F1 composites engineer in the 1980s, then later starting a business that helped create casts and design moulds for cars like the Alfa Romeo SZ, another Zagato design.
Bizzarrini beefed up the Alfa Romeo 155’s suspension, added numerous chassis reinforcements, but more importantly mated the Lancia Delta’s 160kW turbocharged four-cylinder engine to the 155’s Q4 all-wheel drive system (also Lancia-based).
The car was wheeled in front of Alfa Romeo’s top brass, who under the lens of financial strife and scrutiny said, ‘no’.
Here’s where things get interesting. The grandson of the Zagato family manages to drum-up enough funds from a small consortium of Japanese businessmen in search of fine European motoring.
After all, Nissan had funded the weird, wacky and wonderful Autech Stelvio by Zagato to satiate this new-wave of demand. You can click here to read more about that story.
The idea got up, and 21 production cars were built exclusively for the Japan market under the Z Automobili brand, the car called Alfa Romeo 155 Ti.Z.
All 21 were hand-built in Italy and received the DTM-inspired body kits, with six of the 21 cars produced copping the sweet Lancia Delta Integrale spec motor.
A total of 13 received the regular Alfa Romeo four-cylinder naturally-aspirated donk, one a Busso V6, with the final car’s engine remaining a mystery until this day.
Today, thanks to its scarcity, the Alfa Romeo Ti.Z commands a big premium over a regular Alfa 155. An example in excellent condition (pictured in the above gallery) recently sold for approximately $AU40,000.
Luigi Taraborrelli worked for Lamborghini for more than two decades, most recently on chassis handling for supercars such as the Huracan and Aventador, plus the Urus SUV, according to his LinkedIn profile.
The responsibilities of Mr Taraborrelli’s role in the Apple electric car project remain unclear.
Earlier reports have suggested Apple has been working on its autonomous electric car since 2015, with more than 5000 employees understood to be involved in the project.
While an autonomous vehicle could be revealed as soon as 2025, the project has endured a number of setbacks.
In May 2022, a senior executive of the project and former member of Tesla’s Autopilot development team, Christopher CJ Moore, left Apple to work on lidar-based autonomous driving systems with Luminar Technology.
Unsubstantiated overseas reports claim the Apple autonomous car – codenamed ‘Titan’ – will not be equipped with pedals or a steering wheel, instead relying on GPS, cameras and other sensors to transport occupants to their destination.
To read more Drive articles on the rumoured Apple car click here.
Chinese car maker Chery – which returns to Australia in late 2022 after departing seven years ago in the wake of an asbestos recall – has indicated it plans to introduce a rival for Australia’s most-affordable electric car before the end of next year.
Production of Chery’s first Australia-bound electric car is due to begin in September next year, ahead of first arrivals in Europe – and possibly Australia – by the end of 2023.
Executives in China provided few details of the new model to Australian media last week, however information published in a Chery market research survey in Malaysia suggests the electric Omoda 5 will offer up to 450km of driving range.
Chery has identified the Hyundai Kona Electric as its main benchmark – and boldly claims its first global electric car will be “much better” than Australia’s second best-selling electric vehicle last year, the $44,990 (now $46,990) drive-away MG ZS EV.
“We already have [conducted] a lot of studies [into the electric car market], and compared and modified our EV to [compete with] the Hyundai Kona [Electric],” Charlie Zhang, executive vice president of Chery International, the company’s export division, told Australian media on Friday.
“The Omoda 5 BEV [battery-electric vehicle] is much better than the MG ZS EV. We have the new generation of electric and electronic architectures, and the design, technology, and features [are] very much different.”
The Chinese car maker would not be drawn how much its new electric car would cost, but told media it will be “competitive”, and will “deliver value to customers”.
When asked by Drive if the electric Omoda 5 will be priced to compete with Australia’s cheapest electric cars at about $45,000, Zhang said: “I think we need to make some more analysis [before announcing a price].
“The most important thing I believe is that we need to offer value to the customers. We need to convince the customer that you will have a good offer from Chery or Omoda 5 BEV, because this car offers you something different, or something valuable.
“We need to define the pricing strategy, but so far, I don’t have any ideas about that. But my point is that we want to be competitive, in terms of the product itself, and also in terms of the value we have offered to the customers,” Zhang said.
Specifications in Malaysia reveal just how closely the Chery will target its Korean rival, with a 150kW/400Nm front-mounted electric motor and 64kWh battery pack – identical to the top-of-the-range Kona Electric Extended Range.
These figures will reportedly be good for 450km of claimed driving range according to European WLTP procedures, a zero to 80 per cent fast charge in 40 minutes, and a five-hour “slow charge” on a home ‘wallbox’ charger.
The survey – published on Chery’s Malaysian social media pages – asked participants for their thoughts on possible prices for the Omoda 5 EV of between RM180,000 and RM200,000.
Direct currency conversions suggest prices of between $AU57,850 and $AU64,300 – though given the prices of the local competition (MG ZS EV and Hyundai Kona Electric) an Australian price of between $50,000 to $60,000 drive-away appears more probable.
Above: Chery’s first electric car, the eQ1 city car.
Chery executives also hinted at a plug-in hybrid version of the Omoda 5 – however this is yet to be locked in for Australia.
The Omoda 5 small SUV might be the first electric car from Chery in Australia, however it’s unlikely to be the last, with executives confirming to Australian media all of the company’s future models will be developed in right-hand drive, including electric ones.
“There will be a range of new products for right-hand-drive markets – particularly on our T2X [SUV] product platform, but also the electric cars in the future. So there will be a range of products for the Australian market,” Zhang said.
As reported, the Chery brand will return to Australia in October or November 2022 after a seven-year absence, with the Omoda 5 powered by two petrol engines. At least two more SUVs – and a ute – are due in the coming years
US car giant General Motors is reportedly losing $US5 million a day as passengers are slow to embrace it autonomous ride-share service.
General Motors’ ambitious move into an autonomous ride-sharing business in the US has cost more than $US5 billion – with losses continuing to mount at a rate of $US5 million a day.
Slow acceptance of the Cruise project in San Francisco – and delays in approvals for its driverless Origin model – are the main drivers of the epic losses.
The latest setback came as General Motors began charging for Cruise rides in its Chevrolet Bolt electric cars for the first time.
It has also been hurt by reports of crashes involving Cruise automated taxis, and brief traffic snarls caused by Cruise-operated hatchbacks.
Even so, General Motors chief executive Mary Barra is still upbeat about the long-term prospects for Cruise as a potential $50 billlion-a-year business.
She said increasing demand for automated vehicle services and technology would allow General Motors to hit its financial target by 2030, according to a report by news agency Reuters.
“I would say we are going to make sure we fund Cruise and the spending is done in such a way that we can gain share and have a leadership position. We have plans that we’re taking cost out as well, as the technology matures,” Ms Barra was quoted by Reuters as saying.
The latest financial results, headlined by a second-quarter loss of $US500 million, were included in an investor report as a number of companies specialising in autonomous vehicle technology — including Aurora Innovation Incorporated — have taken big hits recently to their share price.
But there are outside factors that affect General Motors’ ability to stem its losses on Cruise.
They include winning approval from California state regulators to greatly expand Cruise’s operating hours and widening the territory covered for its automated taxis.
It is also relying on deployment of the specially-designed Origin, a radical driverless pod with train-style side doors, but that is not expected until sometime in 2023.
GM will give more detail on its Cruise strategy at an event in San Francisco in September, but the chief executive of Cruise — Kyle Vogt — is painting the losses, which began in 2018, as the cost of building a new business.
“When you’ve got the opportunity to go after a trillon-dollar market, you don’t casually wade into that,” Vogt said.
Certain variants of the Mazda 3 small car and CX-5 family SUV are no longer fitted with particular tech features – but have been hit with price rises of up to $700.
Mazda Australia has quietly cut two technology features from certain high-grade versions of the 2022 Mazda 3 and Mazda CX-5 – while increasing their prices by as much as $700.
The latest specification lists from Mazda Australia show high-grade GT SP and Akera versions of the CX-5 mid-size family SUV are no longer fitted with hands-free ‘kick’ functionality for their power tailgates, instead reverting to access only via the key fob, or a button on the tailgate.
Meanwhile, the second-from-range-topping Mazda 3 G25 GT is no longer fitted with a 12-speaker Bose sound system, switching back to lower models’ eight-speaker unbranded stereos. The flagship Astina grades retain the Bose system.
It’s understood ongoing parts shortages – including the semiconductors (computer chips) needed for modern cars – are to blame, representing the first time Mazda has ‘de-specified’ its vehicles to help keep production lines flowing.
Most Japanese car makers – including Toyota, Nissan and Honda – have opted to pause production lines to navigate the ongoing shortages, unlike European brands including Volkswagen and Peugeot, which have instead opted to delete chip-heavy features.
“Global parts supply, factory closures and logistics issues continue to challenge automotive manufacturing, nevertheless we continue to work closely with our dealer partners to deliver customer orders as soon as possible,” a Mazda Australia spokesperson said in a statement.
“Customers are encouraged to speak directly with their dealer to confirm availability and delivery estimates for their model of choice.”
But despite subtly removing features, Mazda Australia has increased prices across the affected variants by as much as $700.
Prices increased across Mazda’s model range by $200 in recent months, affecting the Mazda 3 and CX-5 – but industry guide Redbook (which displays data provided by carmakers) indicates the Mazda 3 G25 GT has risen by a further $500 alongside the feature deletion, from April production.
The 2022 Mazda CX-5 and 2022 Mazda 3 are in showrooms now.
2022 Mazda 3, CX-5 Australian pricing
Mazda 3 G20 Pure manual – $26,540
Mazda 3 G20 Pure auto – $27,540
Mazda 3 G20 Evolve manual – $28,090
Mazda 3 G20 Evolve auto – $29,090
Mazda 3 G20e Evolve M Hybrid auto – $32,840
Mazda 3 G20 Touring manual – $30,5900
Mazda 3 G20 Touring auto – $31,590
Mazda 3 G25 Evolve SP manual – $31,490
Mazda 3 G25 Evolve SP auto – $32,490
Mazda 3 G25 GT manual – $35,690
Mazda 3 G25 GT auto – $36,690
Mazda 3 G25 Astina manual – $38,690
Mazda 3 G25 Astina auto – $39,690
Mazda 3 X20 Astina auto – $42,690
CX-5 Maxx 2.0 petrol FWD manual – $32,390
CX-5 Maxx 2.0 petrol FWD auto – $34,390
CX-5 Maxx Sport petrol 2.5 FWD auto – $38,190
CX-5 Maxx Sport petrol 2.5 AWD auto – $40,690
CX-5 Touring 2.5 petrol AWD auto – $42,580
CX-5 Touring Active 2.5 petrol AWD auto – $42,880
CX-5 Touring Active 2.2 diesel AWD auto – $45,880
CX-5 GT SP 2.5 petrol AWD auto – $48,990
CX-5 GT SP 2.5 turbo petrol AWD auto – $51,490
CX-5 Akera 2.5 petrol AWD auto – $50,880
CX-5 Akera 2.5 turbo petrol AWD auto – $53,380
CX-5 Akera 2.2 diesel AWD auto – $53,880
Note: All prices exclude on-road costs. Hat tip to the Mazda CX-5 Club on Facebook for the news tip.
Want to stay up to date in the world of automotive news? These are the biggest stories from the past week.
Each week we’ll keep you up to speed and bring you the ‘watercooler’ information of what has happened in the world of cars and motoring with the five biggest stories we’ve covered. Here’s what you need to know…
Brand-new Jeep Wagoneer clips bridge – and loses
Ah, the perils of being a big Jeep on a car transport truck.
A brand-new 2023 Jeep Wagoneer, possibly on its way to its excited owner, had a somewhat tragic run-in with a highway bridge in the US state of Detroit.
The nasty outcome was, of course, chronicled on social media for all to see. Check it out here.
2022 Ford Ranger Raptor: first shipment arrives in Australia, but there’s a catch
Spotted: a truckload of new-generation Ford Ranger Raptors on the streets of Melbourne.
While this week’s sighting – courtesy of an eagle-eyed enthusiast – sparked plenty of excitement amongst Ranger devotees, Drive‘s investigations revealed there’s still a little while to wait before we see the car in showrooms.
To find out what the first batch of the Ranger Raptors is actually doing Down Under, read our full story here – and a later story, here.
Hyundai and Kia cars in Australia under investigation for fires and engine failures
Thousands of Australians who own certain petrol-powered Hyundai and Kia vehicles produced since 2009 have been encouraged to register their details online for a possible class action lawsuit.
The vehicles – which could number in the hundreds of thousands – are under the spotlight in Australia for possibly having major engine faults that could result in a fire.
2022 Ford Ranger owners report tailshaft vibrations
The first deliveries of the new Ford Ranger have been affected by customer complaints.
A number of new Ranger owners have already posted to social media, claiming they’ve experienced excessive tailshaft vibrations in both the four-cylinder bi-turbo diesel and V6 turbo-diesel Ford Ranger variants.
Cue jokes about electric police cars needing long extension cords or running flat during a pursuit. Now that’s out of the way, here’s why this Ford F-150 Lightning is a sign of things to come for law enforcement.
The Ford F-150 Lighting electric pick-up is reporting for police duty in the US.
Although this is a concept car for now, Ford has equipped it with heavy-duty hardware designed to handle life on the front line.
Heavy-duty seat coverings, a modified push bar, vinyl flooring, and a redesigned centre console – to accommodate radio equipment and other technology – are just some of the modifications made by Ford’s special vehicles police-car division.
Ford is keen to reverse perceptions that electric cars aren’t suitable for police work amid concerns over range anxiety.
On the contrary, it is rare for today’s petrol-powered police vehicles to go through an entire tank of fuel during a normal shift.
The Ford F-150 Lightning’s driving range of 370km to 500km between recharges (depending on the battery pack ordered) should be more than enough to patrol the mean streets of suburban USA.
Even if the Ford F-150 Lightning found itself being used in urgent-duty driving, it would still likely have enough range to cover an entire shift – before being recharged overnight, or during the day, ready for the next crew.
There is one other attribute Ford hopes will appeal to police: a claimed 0-100km/h time of less than five seconds.
That makes this three-tonne truck faster than a Holden Commodore V8 or Ford Falcon turbo six-cylinder pursuit sedan.
What is left unsaid in the Ford media statement, is what this weight and acceleration does to Ford’s brakes. High-performance brakes are as important – if not more important – on police cars as acceleration.
In urgent-duty driving, police need to be able to safely slow down and be ready to stop at every blocked intersection or red light they approach – before speeding back up again. The wear on brakes is brutal.
Nevertheless, with more than 12,000 police departments across the US, Ford is bound to get some precincts to order the Ford F-150 Lightning for a real-world trial.
Ford says the F-150 Lighting could also be used as a power source at a mobile command post.
In a media statement, Ford’s national government sales manager, Nate Oscarson, said the Ford F-150 Lightning “can serve as a mobile power source to light up evening accident scenes on the highway.”
Furthermore, the “frunk”(the front trunk space located under the bonnet, in lieu of a petrol engine) could be used to store tactical or emergency-scene equipment.
Police fleet managers would be well advised to do their research on the options list for the Ford F-150 Lightning.
The standard battery pack delivers a maximum real-world driving range of 370km, while the optional battery pack – which costs an extra $US10,000 – has a claimed maximum of 500km.
In Australia, a handful of electric police cars have been deployed as community liaison vehicles, rather than for bonafide general duties operations.
The one exception: Victoria Police added a Tesla Model X electric SUV to its highway patrol fleet in June 2019 as a fully operational vehicle.
Contrary to perception, the Tesla Model X operated by Victoria Police is not a loan vehicle.
Victoria Police purchased the Tesla Model X as a technology showcase, and so the department could better understand how electric vehicles might be deployed by first-responders in the future.
It’s been another week of idiots on the road, but there is one common thread with the two biggest losers: they were both busted at warp speed in humdrum hatchbacks.
An old Holden Barina and a Hyundai i30 hatchback – not Porsches, Ferraris, Lamborghinis or Subaru WRXs – have clocked some of the biggest speeds detected by the NSW Police highway patrol in the past week.
A 23-year-old male driver from South Australia was detected by Deniliquin Highway Patrol last weekend pushing his Holden Barina to 162km/h on a 100km/h stretch of the remote Riverina Highway in the state’s far west.
When stopped by police, the driver initially showed signs of remorse when he told the highway patrol officer: “No excuse I can give you will be enough.”
However, the driver’s attitude appeared to change once he was issued a $2547 speeding ticket and lost his NSW driving privileges for six months from the date of the offence – and was not allowed to drive his car from the remote location.
“Wow, that’s cheap,” the man reportedly told police, according to a post on the NSW Police Traffic and Highway Patrol Command Facebook page.
Unfortunately, the vehicle’s registration plates were not able to be confiscated because the Holden Barina was registered interstate, but the driver was not allowed to get behind the wheel again, and needed to enlist help from a licenced driver.
Meantime, in the early morning hours of Saturday 30 July 2022, Macarthur Highway Patrol in metropolitan Sydney’s south-western fringe detected a Hyundai i30 hatchback travelling at 166km/h in a 60km/h zone – more than 100km/h higher than posted speed limit.
The driver reportedly told police he was “running late for work,” according to a post on the NSW Police Traffic and Highway Patrol Command Facebook page.
“The driver has been charged with ‘Drive Speed/Manner Dangerous’ and ‘Exceed Speed Limit – Over 45km/h’ and is due to appear in Campbelltown Local Court in September 2022,” the NSW Police said on Facebook.
“The driver had his NSW licence suspended on the spot for a period of six months, and the registration plates from his car were removed and confiscated for a period of three months, with the driver organising a tow truck to get his car home.”
Police also helpfully pointed out that at 166km/h, a vehicle travels at 46.111 metres per second. Or put another way, almost the length of an Olympic swimming pool per second.
One of the busiest stretches of motorway near Brisbane is about to be hit with new average-speed camera policing.
Motorists in Queensland will soon need to keep a closer eye on their speedometer with more average-speed cameras due to start issuing tickets from early next year.
Spanning nine kilometres on the north side of Brisbane Airport, the new point-to-point cameras will be installed later this year before become operational from early 2023.
The new stretch of road policed by average-speed cameras will become the third major highway to use the devices in Queensland, since the first one was introduced in the state in 2011.
All Australian states and territories except Tasmania and the Northern Territory have fixed point-to-point speed cameras.
NSW is the only jurisdiction that uses average-speed cameras to target heavy vehicles only; other states use the devices to target cars as well as trucks.
South Australia lists a total of 36 cameras on roads such as the Port Wakefield Highway, Dukes Highway, Northern Expressway, Victor Harbor Road, Sturt Highway and South Eastern Freeway.
Western Australia is set to soon begin a three-month trial of point-to-point cameras in undisclosed locations, according to WA Today – joining the state’s sole existing cameras along the Forrest Highway.
The Australian Capital Territory has just one average speed camera setup – located on Hindmarsh Drive between Yamba Drive and Dalrymple Street – after the Athllon Drive point-to-point cameras were dismantled in 2017.
New South Wales has 25 average-speed camera locations – and another 11 in the pipeline for the Sydney metropolitan area – however, for now all zones are for the detection of heavy vehicles only.
Located on the Gateway Motorway – also known as the M1 – between Nudgee Road and Deagon Deviation, the three-lane stretch of road will be policed by point-to-point speed cameras in both north and southbound directions (pictured above).
While the Gateway Motorway’s default speed limit is 100km/h, this can be reduced to 60km/h depending on the flow of traffic in either direction.
Signs reminding motorists to check their speed due to the average speed zone have already been installed, however the cameras won’t be activated for another six months or so.
Point-to-point speed cameras have been used in Australia for over a decade.
A representative for Queensland’s Department of Transport and Main Roads said the point-to-point system will help to improve traffic flow, with its location determined through the use of historical crash data.
“Point-to-point speed cameras have been proven to reduce road crashes and improve traffic flow,” a Transport and Main Roads spokesperson told Drive.
“Motorists should be especially vigilant and drive to conditions within the speed limit on the Gateway Motorway between Nudgee Road and Deagon Deviation.
“Motorists should expect speed limits to be enforced anywhere at any time, regardless of whether a speed camera is visible or where they think cameras operate.
“The point-to-point system is expected to be installed at the end of 2022 and be fully operational and enforceable in the first quarter of 2023.
“This is part of a program of infrastructure works to improve road safety and compliance.”
Unlike New South Wales where point-to-point cameras are only used to police heavy vehicles, Queensland uses the system for all road users.
“Point-to-point speed camera systems in Queensland enforce the speed limit for all vehicles. These systems encourage compliance by all motorists, which reduces speed differentials, overtaking manoeuvres and the average travelling speed on that section of road,” added the Transport and Main Roads spokesperson.
“Once the system is installed and operational the system will be capable of enforcing speed limits between the two points where the speed limits change.”
The locations of the new point-to-point speed cameras, operating in both north and southbound directions.
The Royal Automotive Club of Queensland (RACQ) says it supports the installation of point-to-point speed cameras in the Sunshine State with Traffic and Safety Engineering Manager, Greg Miszkowycz, saying the club’s members see the point-to-point cameras as the fairest speed enforcement system in use.
“Point-to-point camera systems can be more effective at improving road safety by ensuring drivers obey the speed limit over a longer distance, instead of just slowing as they pass stationary cameras,” said Miszkowycz.
“Our members tell us point-to-point cameras are fairer than other speed enforcement systems like fixed or mobile cameras as they calculate the average speed instead of fining drivers for momentarily exceeding the speed limit.
“Motorists will be made aware of point-to-point cameras through high visibility warning signs on approach. Fines are one deterrent for speeding but notifying motorists of speed cameras is also very effective at changing driver behaviour and improving safety on our roads.”
While the Nudgee Road to Deagon Deviation section of the Gateway Motorway is often at a crawl on weekday afternoons with drivers heading north from the Brisbane city, the RACQ says the point-to-point cameras will play an active role in reducing the state’s road toll.
“Congestion on this section of the Gateway Motorway is mostly northbound during the PM peak, but is relatively free-flowing during off-peak times,” Miszkowycz added.
“The Gateway Motorway is a major thoroughfare for all kinds of motorists, from tourists to commuters and large freight, so crashes on this road can be catastrophic and cause significant delays.
“Already we’ve seen more than 170 people die on Queensland roads this year and we are on track to surpass last year’s road toll. Speeding is one of the major causes of road fatalities in Queensland and these point-to-point cameras will help manage vehicle speeds over a significant length of this motorway.
“Installing point-to-point cameras is one way we can improve road safety, but it’s not a silver bullet. A higher on-road police presence and road upgrades also need to be prioritised.”
The point-to-point speed cameras on the Gateway Motorway will be the fifth installation in Queensland and the second in Brisbane after a system on Legacy Way between Toowong and Kelvin Grove went live last year.
In addition to this, there are two zones on the Bruce Highway between Landsborough and Elimbah (split by Johnston Road in the Glasshouse Mountains), as well as the Toowoomba Bypass, located between Helidon Spa and Athol.
